Ballet term (L, Kersley and J, Sinclair 1997; pg 15)
CHAT DE PAS
the dancer brings up left foot to the right knee or ankle whilst springing, immediately bending the right leg up as she travels sideways, and lands lightly on the left foot and closes the right foot to it.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Monday, 26 March 2012
Ballet Boyz- The Talent
This was not quite what I expected, I was hoping for a performance full of energy and vitality something that really made you go WOW. Instead it just came across a little 'A-level'. There was no real creativity to it; simply an hour and a half of watching the same move done in a slightly different position or manner- nothing that was really memorable or exciting.
It's not true to say that the performance as a whole was dull or boring, far from it, it just didn't live up to the potential or hype I had created for it. The pieces felt disjointed and in places clumsy, I'm sure as the group develop this will smooth out but it was clear that their strength lay in the group work, it just wasn't sharp enough for me.
The snippets of the performance that showed real potential and energy were the group sections, suddenly all this energy and power was being directed and focused and the effect completely revolutionised the rest of the performance; then it was as though they fell back apart.
The performance was good but not something I would go back to see again; there were a few nice tricks but nothing to really grab you and hold you. No emotion, no character, no energy. The costumes were slightly irritating to be honest as was the lighting, it all looked dirty and dark except in the second piece which was much lighter and more fluid ( and consequently my favourite piece). There was serious reference to the swans of Matthew Bourne in the pantaloons of the second piece coupled with clever use of the swan wing motif. Over all though it was all a little dull and uninspiring.
In it's defence though it wasn't nearly as tragic as the music. I'm not sure if it's compulsory for all contemporary dance music to be irritating or it's just a side effect of listening to the same three beats repeatedly for twenty minutes solid but I was nearly ready to leave the auditorium sheerly due to the music. It distracted and annoyed me, keeping me tense and preventing me from really being able to watch the piece properly. Truly giving new meaning to the phrase 'banging headache'.
A good but unpolished and erratic performance, as my mother so succinctly put it... "ballet boyz, they got that right... I think I'll come back when their men."
It's not true to say that the performance as a whole was dull or boring, far from it, it just didn't live up to the potential or hype I had created for it. The pieces felt disjointed and in places clumsy, I'm sure as the group develop this will smooth out but it was clear that their strength lay in the group work, it just wasn't sharp enough for me.
The snippets of the performance that showed real potential and energy were the group sections, suddenly all this energy and power was being directed and focused and the effect completely revolutionised the rest of the performance; then it was as though they fell back apart.
The performance was good but not something I would go back to see again; there were a few nice tricks but nothing to really grab you and hold you. No emotion, no character, no energy. The costumes were slightly irritating to be honest as was the lighting, it all looked dirty and dark except in the second piece which was much lighter and more fluid ( and consequently my favourite piece). There was serious reference to the swans of Matthew Bourne in the pantaloons of the second piece coupled with clever use of the swan wing motif. Over all though it was all a little dull and uninspiring.
In it's defence though it wasn't nearly as tragic as the music. I'm not sure if it's compulsory for all contemporary dance music to be irritating or it's just a side effect of listening to the same three beats repeatedly for twenty minutes solid but I was nearly ready to leave the auditorium sheerly due to the music. It distracted and annoyed me, keeping me tense and preventing me from really being able to watch the piece properly. Truly giving new meaning to the phrase 'banging headache'.
A good but unpolished and erratic performance, as my mother so succinctly put it... "ballet boyz, they got that right... I think I'll come back when their men."
Les Trocks
As part of our last screening Dexter showed us two versions of Act II of Swan Lake, one by the royal ballet- beautifully classic and performed by Margo Fontaine which was stunning as always. The other by a company which were new to me- Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo who were fantastic. A ballet 'parody' these men performed in classic ballet costume and on pointe. Using mainly original choreography they played on stereotypes and human indulgence to create a piece that is as beautifully charming as it is side-splitting funny. I love the fact that it is a performance which allows ballet as an art form to relax and enjoy itself. It does not take away anything from classical ballet but instead adds to the potential ballet has to communicate with an audience. To say that the Trocks are not real 'ballet' dancers, is both unfair and narrow-minded they perform beautifully and their skill is evident. For them these performances are about having fun!
Swan Lake Essay
As part of this project we will need to write a 1500 essay comparing two out of the three versions of Swan Lake we've seen. These comprise of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet's Swan Lake ( Act II) and Les Ballets Trochadero's Swan Lake (Act II). I think that I would like to base this essay on the use of body language to portray the relationship between the Prince and the White Swan and focus specifically on Matthew Bourne and the Royal Ballet. Another alternative I considered was the use of humour within Ballet; however I feel this would be a much bigger essay and I would struggle with the 1500 word limit. I will make reference to Les Trocks version but there will not be much analysis of their work within this essay. I really want to look at mime, facial expressions, use of arms and character movements; to consider how all these elements build to create an overall action which is capable of evoking emotion and telling stories.
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Dyeing a second time....
Dyeing elastic proved to be a nightmare, no matter how strong I made the dye and how clear the colour came out of the vat as soon as I washed it the colour faded drastically and looked saturated and dull. Luckily the colour I needed was very very pale but this was still a hindrance and considerably slowed me down. Eventually I was managing to make colours of the right strength (using very concentrated dyes) but the correct shade of colour still eluded me, I need a pale aquamarine colour but I kept achieving a delicate cornflower blue. In the end the dye I was using was practically bottle green but as it washed out it faded, finally, to a pretty, pale aquamarine. It was approved by Dexter and was good to go.
1tsp Bright Turquoise
2 tsp Lemon Yellow
2 tsp salt
500ml boiling water
1tsp Bright Turquoise
2 tsp Lemon Yellow
2 tsp salt
500ml boiling water
Ballet term for the day
Ballet term (L, Kersley and J, Sinclair 1997; pg 15)
BALLET BLANC
A ballet in which the Prima ballerina and corps are dressed in white, traditionally the classic romantic tutus. It is said to have been invented by Lami for Taglioni in La Sylphide.
BALLET BLANC
A ballet in which the Prima ballerina and corps are dressed in white, traditionally the classic romantic tutus. It is said to have been invented by Lami for Taglioni in La Sylphide.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
The Firebird
This Saturday I sat and watched the Royal Ballet's 2002 production of The Firebird on BOB national. It was really interesting as they had a foreword which spoke about the origins of the ballet and the designs (originally by Baskt). I found the production intriguing as this version has reverted to the more classical tutu whereas in the original Baskt had been very keen to move away from such conventionality. It is perhaps a piece which I would like to develop and study further in third year as I feel it has great potential for development and creavity.
Friday, 16 March 2012
History of Ballet Lecture,
I'm not going to re write out all my notes on here as it would take forever so I'll just summarise. The actually notes will be written up in my Book of Ballet scrapbook (Dexter suggested this as a really good idea for us and so far I'm having so much fun putting it all together.)
The lecture was really useful in helping me piece together all the little scraps of information I had and helping me place them onto the bigger picture. I was really surprised at how many of the names I knew and recognised were actually really closely linked together; often one being the dancing master of the next. It also really helped me contextualise the periods in which ballet was and or is most prominent. I was unaware that English ballet, in terms of companies and such, is really relatively very new; starting around the turn of the 20th century. Or that many of our biggest companies were started by members of the Ballet Russes.
As you begin to lay the history of ballet out and consider the dates and time periods you can really see how the period has influenced ballet, and vice versa. It has affected fashions, art, social ettiquette.... it really surprised me how much of an impact it has had when you consider it as such a specialism.
It was clear to me that the evolution of ballet had been affected by and had affected many social and historical events; the presence of key historical figures from Catherine de Medici and Louis the XIV to Ninjinsky and Diaghalev have had a huge impact on our modern view of ballet.
I'm not going to re write out all my notes on here as it would take forever so I'll just summarise. The actually notes will be written up in my Book of Ballet scrapbook (Dexter suggested this as a really good idea for us and so far I'm having so much fun putting it all together.)
The lecture was really useful in helping me piece together all the little scraps of information I had and helping me place them onto the bigger picture. I was really surprised at how many of the names I knew and recognised were actually really closely linked together; often one being the dancing master of the next. It also really helped me contextualise the periods in which ballet was and or is most prominent. I was unaware that English ballet, in terms of companies and such, is really relatively very new; starting around the turn of the 20th century. Or that many of our biggest companies were started by members of the Ballet Russes.
As you begin to lay the history of ballet out and consider the dates and time periods you can really see how the period has influenced ballet, and vice versa. It has affected fashions, art, social ettiquette.... it really surprised me how much of an impact it has had when you consider it as such a specialism.
It was clear to me that the evolution of ballet had been affected by and had affected many social and historical events; the presence of key historical figures from Catherine de Medici and Louis the XIV to Ninjinsky and Diaghalev have had a huge impact on our modern view of ballet.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Ballet Term for the day (L, Kersley and J, Sinclair 1997; pg 4)
ARABESQUE:
One leg extended behind with straight knee and pointed foot; supporting leg is either bent or straight. Can be performed normally with an erect body, as an arabesque allongee with the back foot resting on the ground, or as an arabesque penchee where the dancer leans forward to the ground raising the leg to create a straight, diagonal line.
ARABESQUE:
One leg extended behind with straight knee and pointed foot; supporting leg is either bent or straight. Can be performed normally with an erect body, as an arabesque allongee with the back foot resting on the ground, or as an arabesque penchee where the dancer leans forward to the ground raising the leg to create a straight, diagonal line.
Dyeing
As a little extra Dexter has asked me to attempt some net dyeing using silk paints (dye-na flow) as of yet they've not been very sucessful but I am working on this with lots of experimentation. The net takes the dye reasonably well but regardless of how many coats I apply it doesn't seem to be able to darken, layering up the net is effective but nor suitable for this piece. I am experiementing with different shades and dip dyeing. Will post again with more information.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Swan Lake Moscow Ballet Review
Act one:
First opening impression... what a hideous shade of peach for the company costumes, especially for the men! I very often have a slight dislike of male ballet costumes and these did nothing to improve this; the capes provided extra ammunition (think The Incredibles Edna!) Eventually I began to find the women's capes reasonably complimentary- soft off one shoulder drapes- unfortunately the men's were simply unforgivable, rather than demonstrating the power and athleticism of these dancers it distracted from them, making them look slightly effeminate.
The Prince's black costume although ok close up looked a little odd from a distance- especially the decoration on the front (which I could not find a decent picture of!) and much preferred the white tunic he wore in the Second Act.
http://www.themuni.co.uk/events/moscow-ballet-swan-lake/ (accessed: 13/03/2012)
Attendant was good and his costume much more subtle, I did briefly think he was the Prince
The Jester was wonderful! He was so emotive and expressive, really stealing the show even when he wasn't centre stage. His characterisation really communicated the story to the audience effectively; unfortunately this served to highlight the areas where this was perhaps lacking
The pas de trois I really liked especially the blonde ballerina's solo. again much more expressive than some of the others.
Act two:
The swan maidens were elegant and pretty as always however as discussed in the half time crit the tutu's weren't quite right, proportionally they were too long meaning that they flopped around.
It was a very short rendition with several passages from the cygnet and swan dances being cut out. There were several notable changes to the original choreography; namely the lift after the arabesque hops, they used a full turning lift rather than just a straight raise.
The mime was also cut short which I was disappointed about I had been looking forward to being able to read the signs properly after watching a documentary on the scene by the Royal Ballet.
Von Rothbert's costume was a little too garish, the very shiny purple satin cape looked a little odd.
Act three:
Odile's head piece was very irritating with the feathers continually flapping- looked quite precarious. Her solo fell a little short and she didn't feel sharp or sexy enough as the character. To me there was good chemistry between her and Rothbert but very little with the Prince (this was also true when playing Odette.)
Loved the Spanish princesses sleeves- delicate lace hardly attached at top was subtly sexy. Also the flamenco dancer's underskirt was brilliant- didn't like the black top fabric but having the flashes of orange as she moved was brilliant. It really added excitement and flair to the piece.
Rothbert's party cloak was much better than his standard one.
Act four:
Ending felt very abrupt and I was expecting it to go on for a lot longer, again feel the connection between Odette and Prince Siegfried wasn't as strong as it could have been- no real passion or love. In fact towards the end I was surprised at how OK I felt about the death of Odette and Sigfreid, the ballet was beautifully performed but it failed to extract any real emotions or reactions out of me. I enjoyed the performance and it certainately enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the genre but feel there were areas in which the ballet could have been sharper and more effective.
In a final note only half the cast were present for the finale which I found odd.
First opening impression... what a hideous shade of peach for the company costumes, especially for the men! I very often have a slight dislike of male ballet costumes and these did nothing to improve this; the capes provided extra ammunition (think The Incredibles Edna!) Eventually I began to find the women's capes reasonably complimentary- soft off one shoulder drapes- unfortunately the men's were simply unforgivable, rather than demonstrating the power and athleticism of these dancers it distracted from them, making them look slightly effeminate.
The Prince's black costume although ok close up looked a little odd from a distance- especially the decoration on the front (which I could not find a decent picture of!) and much preferred the white tunic he wore in the Second Act.
http://www.themuni.co.uk/events/moscow-ballet-swan-lake/ (accessed: 13/03/2012)
Attendant was good and his costume much more subtle, I did briefly think he was the Prince
The Jester was wonderful! He was so emotive and expressive, really stealing the show even when he wasn't centre stage. His characterisation really communicated the story to the audience effectively; unfortunately this served to highlight the areas where this was perhaps lacking
The pas de trois I really liked especially the blonde ballerina's solo. again much more expressive than some of the others.
Act two:
The swan maidens were elegant and pretty as always however as discussed in the half time crit the tutu's weren't quite right, proportionally they were too long meaning that they flopped around.
It was a very short rendition with several passages from the cygnet and swan dances being cut out. There were several notable changes to the original choreography; namely the lift after the arabesque hops, they used a full turning lift rather than just a straight raise.
The mime was also cut short which I was disappointed about I had been looking forward to being able to read the signs properly after watching a documentary on the scene by the Royal Ballet.
Von Rothbert's costume was a little too garish, the very shiny purple satin cape looked a little odd.
Act three:
Odile's head piece was very irritating with the feathers continually flapping- looked quite precarious. Her solo fell a little short and she didn't feel sharp or sexy enough as the character. To me there was good chemistry between her and Rothbert but very little with the Prince (this was also true when playing Odette.)
Loved the Spanish princesses sleeves- delicate lace hardly attached at top was subtly sexy. Also the flamenco dancer's underskirt was brilliant- didn't like the black top fabric but having the flashes of orange as she moved was brilliant. It really added excitement and flair to the piece.
Rothbert's party cloak was much better than his standard one.
Act four:
Ending felt very abrupt and I was expecting it to go on for a lot longer, again feel the connection between Odette and Prince Siegfried wasn't as strong as it could have been- no real passion or love. In fact towards the end I was surprised at how OK I felt about the death of Odette and Sigfreid, the ballet was beautifully performed but it failed to extract any real emotions or reactions out of me. I enjoyed the performance and it certainately enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the genre but feel there were areas in which the ballet could have been sharper and more effective.
In a final note only half the cast were present for the finale which I found odd.
Bibliography
Bourne,
M (dir.) (1996) Swan Lake [DVD] New
York: NVC Arts, Warner Music Vision
Brown, M (2011) Matthew
Bourne awakens Sleeping Beauty in 21st century The Guardian [online] 26 October 2011. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/oct/26/matthew-bourne-sleeping-beauty [accessed 5/5/12]
Burt,
R (1995) The Male Dancer: Bodies, Spectacle,
Sexualities London, UK and New
York, USA: Routledge
Dexter, M (2012) BA (Hons) Costume with
Performance Design. Arts University
College Bournemouth. 15 March 2012
Haskell,
A (1965) What is a Ballet? London,
UK: Macdonalds and Co. Publishers Ltd
Kersley,
L and Sinclair, J (1997) The
Dictionary of Ballet Terms London: A. & C. Black
Les
Trockadero de Monte Carlo (2009) Les
Ballet Trockadero Volume 2 [DVD] United States: BelAir Studios
Macaulay,
A (2011) Matthew Bourne and
his adventures in dance London, UK: Faber and Faber Ltd
Moscow
City Ballet (2012) Swan Lake March
2012, programme, Pavilion Theatre: ----------Bournemouth
Tatchell,
J (1994) The World of Ballet London, UK: Usborne Publishing
Ltd.
Terry,
W (1979) Great Male Dancers of the Ballet Hale
Watson, K (1999) Dance
without the Boring Bits The Guardian [online]
Available from:http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/1999/sep/11/books.guardianreview7?INTCMP=SRCH
[accessed 09/05/12]
Swan Lake context
Before going to watch any ballet it is vital to familiarise yourself with the synopsis and characters or else you can find yourself quite lost when watching and that can ruined the magic and atmosphere of the performance. in our briefing we were given a synopsis of Swan Lake to read before the performance. I will document it separately on here as it is always worth having as a reference.
Swan Lake is for many people the ultimate test of a Ballerina's skill, strength and stamina; with 4 acts and over 3 hours of performing it is a huge endurance test. We discovered that the 32 Fouettes which occur at the end of Odile solo weren't actually part of the original choreography but were introduced by ballerina Pierina Legnani in the 1895 version by Mariinsky Ballet. I look forward to seeing them performed tonight.
History;
Composed around 1875/76 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky it initially did not succeed as a performance; many considered the music to be too complicated and syncopated for the dancers to move to. It was revised and revived in 1895 by the Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and it was here where the Ballet first saw success! There are several suggestions and theories as to the origins of the story, some have said that it was a story Tchaikovsky made for his nieces and nephews. It is most likely however influenced by the many many myths and legends over the years that have told stories of swan maidens, particularly Nordic and Greek mythology. Since its revival it has seen many many reincarnation, we will be watching the Moscow City Ballet's version which is based on the choreography by Marius Pepita.
Swan Lake is for many people the ultimate test of a Ballerina's skill, strength and stamina; with 4 acts and over 3 hours of performing it is a huge endurance test. We discovered that the 32 Fouettes which occur at the end of Odile solo weren't actually part of the original choreography but were introduced by ballerina Pierina Legnani in the 1895 version by Mariinsky Ballet. I look forward to seeing them performed tonight.
History;
Composed around 1875/76 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky it initially did not succeed as a performance; many considered the music to be too complicated and syncopated for the dancers to move to. It was revised and revived in 1895 by the Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and it was here where the Ballet first saw success! There are several suggestions and theories as to the origins of the story, some have said that it was a story Tchaikovsky made for his nieces and nephews. It is most likely however influenced by the many many myths and legends over the years that have told stories of swan maidens, particularly Nordic and Greek mythology. Since its revival it has seen many many reincarnation, we will be watching the Moscow City Ballet's version which is based on the choreography by Marius Pepita.
First thoughts
Fall in love with ballet.
That's the aim of this project; everything is designed to help us appreciate, enjoy and adore ballet and lets be honest if we're not all pretty much there already! I'm so excited about the upcoming weeks and all the things we're going to learn and the skills we're going to develop. Already after today's introduction I feel already as though this is the perfect project for me. Something I love and am so interested in, the enthusiasm our tutor has for his topic is infectious and is really fueling my passion not only for Ballet but dance as a whole.
Tonight we're going to see the Moscow City Ballet's la Classique Swan Lake at the Pavilion in Bournemouth- they're reputed to be among one of the best ballet companies in the world. Having seen the St Petersburg version a few years ago it will be interesting to see a slightly different take and also see how my understanding of ballet as altered my perceptions of the performance.
As part of the project though not to be handed in we will also put together a scrapbook of ideas, images, references, information, synopses and biography to keep as a personal record. Also we will produce a 1500 word essay comparing the Swan Lake we see tonight with two other versions (one of which I assume will be Matthew Bourne's all male swan cast- which I adore) I cannot wait!
That's the aim of this project; everything is designed to help us appreciate, enjoy and adore ballet and lets be honest if we're not all pretty much there already! I'm so excited about the upcoming weeks and all the things we're going to learn and the skills we're going to develop. Already after today's introduction I feel already as though this is the perfect project for me. Something I love and am so interested in, the enthusiasm our tutor has for his topic is infectious and is really fueling my passion not only for Ballet but dance as a whole.
Tonight we're going to see the Moscow City Ballet's la Classique Swan Lake at the Pavilion in Bournemouth- they're reputed to be among one of the best ballet companies in the world. Having seen the St Petersburg version a few years ago it will be interesting to see a slightly different take and also see how my understanding of ballet as altered my perceptions of the performance.
As part of the project though not to be handed in we will also put together a scrapbook of ideas, images, references, information, synopses and biography to keep as a personal record. Also we will produce a 1500 word essay comparing the Swan Lake we see tonight with two other versions (one of which I assume will be Matthew Bourne's all male swan cast- which I adore) I cannot wait!
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